Water is a scarce and valuable resource on a global scale. Town water supplies may provide some form of metering of the consumption by for examples a household, hotel, office, or apartment building by providing water meter on the property measuring the quantity of water consumed by a household over a given period. However the meters do not provide any significant information enabling the user to control the use of water in different rooms, or at different outlets, or different appliances, as such meters provide only a bulk measurement which is used for costing purposes. Such water meters do not distinguish between a dripping tap in a basin, the consumption of water for drinking purposes, or for use in washing machines or other appliances, or in fact the consumption or loss of water through leaks in the pipe work between the gate and the household.
Much water is lost through forgetfulness (for example leaving the faucet on unattended), from leaky taps, burst or leaky pipes, and in innumerable ways, from the use of high volume showers, or for example in leaving faucets or showers in the ON position to flush water through the pipes until the outlet reaches the required temperature, or through appliances that do not seal properly and leak water to waste without the householder knowing that the appliances is defective.
There is a need to provide more effective information on water use, and water management enabling householders to minimise unnecessary water usage, and to control their own consumption by knowing which appliances or which users consume too much, or at which times of the day there is excessive water consumption, as information is power, and the right information can enable users to control their water usage in a more cost effective way.